Herman Frazier starts his sixth year as the University of Hawai'i athletic director today — although he chuckles and says "it seems like longer."

Indeed, it has not been a somnolent tenure.

From budget and scheduling issues to a summons to the legislature the last year, especially, has been high-profile and high-decibel.

Largely unknown here when he left Alabama-Birmingham to begin his first day on the job Aug. 1, 2002, Frazier is now a well-recognized figure and regular fodder for chat rooms, call-in radio and newspaper headlines. Even booing fans.

"I think, given all the things that we have had an opportunity to touch since we've been here — and everyone might not always agree that we did the right thing — we will certainly tell you that we believe that we have," Frazier said.

"In the past five years under the leadership of Herman Frazier, (UH) has continued to be one of the WAC's flagship programs," said Karl Benson, Western Athletic Conference commissioner. "He has also provided strong leadership within the WAC structure and he is an AD I turn to often for advice and counsel. He recognizes the 'big picture' when it comes to conference matters and that sometimes decisions need to be made that are in the best interest of the league rather than just one school."

But some, including state Rep. K. Mark Takai D-34th (Newtown, Waiau, Pearl City), who led a legislative meeting into UH athletic operations under Frazier in May, question what he has accomplished. "In my few interactions with Mr. Frazier he seems like an intelligent person and nice guy. However, for the amount of money we're paying him ($250,000), I just don't see what he has personally done to bring Hawai'i to the next level," Takai said.

The football scheduling fiasco (no 13th game but two Division I-AA opponents) and budgetary questions (a balanced budget for 2006 but overall unrestricted net deficit of $4.2 million) are issues that have hung over Frazier's past year. "Those two issues are examples," Takai said. "The finances, some could argue, have put the UH athletic program in a more financially risky (position) and deeper in debt."

UH had deficits for three of Frazier's first four years. The audit for the just-completed fiscal year isn't complete.

"In terms of the schedule, I think, with Colt Brennan leading the way, and the confusion that particular issue brought to the program could, potentially, be harmful," Takai said.

Kent Untermann, a tight end for Hawai'i (1981-84), businessman and booster, said: "I'm looking forward to him (Frazier) embracing the community more. I'm extremely disappointed in the facilities, with Cooke Field, which doesn't have (artificial) turf on it. I'm very (dissatisfied) with the way the schedule has been handled. We have a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate and a very exciting football (season) ahead of us, so I'm struggling to understand why we have only (20,400) season tickets sold."

Untermann said, "My senior year we averaged 47,000 (45,765) people per game and we didn't have nearly as exciting of an offense, so I'm disappointed (they) can't get more bodies in the seats because part of the excitement of playing Division I football is playing in front of a large homefield crowd."

Frazier said, "while everybody here likes to talk about the budget all the time, if we were any other school in our conference able to accomplish what we have with our budget process ... they (would) marvel at it."

"The other aspect," Frazier said, "is that we are running a high-caliber, broad-based program. You look at our Olympic sports and what they have accomplished over the last three, four years."

UH President David McClain, who, as chairman of the College of Business Administration chaired the search committee charged with picking the athletic director, said: "During Herman Frazier's tenure as UH-Manoa athletics director, I've been impressed with his emphasis on the 'student' in 'student-athlete-athlete'; with the growing competitiveness of UH teams in many sports; and with his efforts to improve the financial picture of the department. I appreciate the professionalism and integrity with which Herman leads UHM athletics."

Though Frazier's name has been linked with past openings at Washington and Colorado, he maintains "those never came into play because, for the most part, we were committed to getting some things accomplished here."

If Frazier were to leave UH, speculation is that it would be for a return to the U.S. Olympic movement, where he was a gold and bronze medalist in the 1976 Olympics and served as the U.S. Chef de Mission for the 2004 Olympiad.

"There has been speculation that I will (someday) be president of the Olympic Committee," Frazier said. "That can always be in my future, but Peter Ueberroth is like 65 years old ...and I'm only 52, so it is nothing that I have to run to tomorrow."

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.